Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Trump: Talks with Taliban Continue, Afghanistan Still Terror 'Breeding Ground' VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- The fate of a much-anticipated peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban is hanging in the balance after both adversaries in Afghanistan's 18-year-old war said they still have "some details" to discuss.
• Afghan President Vows to Eliminate IS Safe Havens After Wedding Attack VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Afghanistan's president has vowed to eliminate all safe havens of the Islamic State.
• Afghanistan bloodshed mars 100 years of independence UN News 19 Aug 2019 -- Afghanistan is at a "crucial moment" in its history as it marks 100 years of independence, the head of the UN Mission there said on Monday, following a series of terror attacks in recent days.
• Dozens wounded in blasts on Afghanistan's Independence Day Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- A series of explosions have hit the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar during the country's 100th anniversary of its independence, wounding dozens of people including women and children.
• Dozens Wounded In Blasts As Afghanistan Marks Independence Day RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- Dozens of people have been wounded in a series of explosions in eastern Afghanistan as the country marked 100 years of independence from the British.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DOD Conducts Ground Launch Cruise Missile Test DoD 19 Aug 2019 -- On Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, the Department of Defense conducted a flight test of a conventionally-configured ground-launched cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, California.
• U.S. Tests First Ground-Launched Cruise Missile Since Withdrawing From INF Treaty RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- The United States says it has tested its first ground-based cruise missile since withdrawing from a more-than-30-year-old arms treaty with Russia earlier this month.
• US Tests Cruise Missile Banned by INF Treaty Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) came to an end on 2 August after the United States repeatedly accused Russia of breaching the accord, a claim denied by Moscow.
• US Tests 1st Ground Missile Previously Banned in Dissolved Arms Treaty with Russia VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- The Pentagon says the U.S. military has tested a ground-based cruise missile with a range that would have been banned just three weeks ago.
• DIA Director Outlines Top 3 Priorities DoD News 19 Aug 2019 -- Within a decade, China and Russia's militaries will be using data visualization, artificial intelligence, machine learning and possibly quantum encryption and communications, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency said.
• Lethal and Ready to Respond USMC News 19 Aug 2019 -- Marines and Sailors from the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit completed a two-week training exercise aboard multiple U.S. military installations in Kuwait, Aug. 9.
• USS Oklahoma City Returns to Homeport NNS 19 Aug 2019 -- Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) returned to its homeport of Apra Harbor, Guam, Aug. 18.
• USS Oklahoma City Returns Home from Regional Patrol NNS 19 Aug 2019 -- Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) returned to its homeport of Apra Harbor, Guam, Aug. 18.
• 2019 Red Flag-Alaska season concludes US Air Force 19 Aug 2019 -- Exercise Red Flag-Alaska 19-3, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment, concluded Aug. 16, 2019.
• In New Video, New Clues To Mysterious Russia Explosion RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- Days after a mysterious explosion at a Russian naval test site caused radiation detectors to briefly spike, a military officer met with worried residents of Nyonoksa, the village where the site is located on the White Sea.
• Radiation Monitoring Stations Offline After Mysterious Russian Blast VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Four radiation monitoring stations in Russia have gone offline after a mysterious blast at a Russian missile testing facility on Aug. 8, according to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.
• Trump approves F-16 sale to Taiwan CNA 19 Aug 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has approved a plan by his administration to sell new F-16 fighter jets valued at US$8 billion to Taiwan.
• Taiwan thanks Trump for approving F-16V sale amid China's threats CNA 19 Aug 2019 -- Taiwan's government expressed appreciation Monday to U.S. President Donald Trump for approving the sale of F-16V multi-role fighter jets amid increasing threats and coercion from Beijing.
• Taiwan's Big Military Budget Aims to Resist China, Buy US F-16 Fighter Jets VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Taiwan intends to raise its military budget more than usual next year following an increase in perceived threats from its old rival China, which has the world's third largest armed forces, and a nod from the United States to sell a major new round of F-16 fighter jets.
• Chinese Missiles Could Cripple US Asia-Pacific Forces as Washington Loses Military Primacy - Report Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- The 104-page report also urged the US and its Pacific allies, namely Australia and Japan, to overhaul their military investment plans as well as spending and relationships in the region.
• China uses advanced weapons in plateau military drills Global Times 19 Aug 2019 -- In preparation for potential plateau warfare, China recently used, for the first time, some of its most powerful weapons and equipment, including Type 99A main battle tanks and battlefield robots to a snow-covered plateau in combat exercises.
• Japan's accusation that Chinese aircraft targeted Japanese warships 'purely speculation' Global Times 19 Aug 2019 -- Japanese media accusations that Chinese aircraft used Japanese warships as imaginary targets during a missile drill is purely speculation and only reveals Japan's own guilty conscience, Chinese military experts said on Monday.
• Pakistan Army Chief gets 3 year extension amid rising tensions with India IRNA 19 Aug 2019 -- Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has granted an extension of three years in service to the current Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa amid rising tensions with India.
• 3-Year Service Extension for Pak Army Chief Amid Tension With India Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- General Bajwa has been a strong advocate for clean governance in Pakistan, which gels with the vision of the Imran Khan government. It's been evident in some of his decisions including the sentencing of a three-star lieutenant general to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment for sharing secrets with India.
• Pakistan Extends Army Chief's Term Amid Tensions With India VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan extended the term of his military chief Monday amid dangerously escalating tensions with rival India over the disputed Kashmir region.
• Bahrain joins US military coalition in Persian Gulf Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- The Al Khalifa regime in power in Bahrain has announced support for a US coalition in the Persian Gulf as Washington remains desperate to recruit more allies in its attempts to escalate tensions with Iran.
• Poland Could Support US Politically in Persian Gulf, Not Via Military - Foreign Ministry Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- Poland could provide political but not military support to the United States in the Gulf region, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz told Polish media.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Aug. 19, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 19 August 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 19 Aug 2019
• Experts: Women Make Peacekeeping Missions More Effective VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Women, peace and security are on the agenda at a military conference in Ghana this week, where experts say deploying women into peacekeeping forces will make missions more effective and make civilian women feel safer in reporting abuses.
• Saudi-led coalition strikes Yemen capital six times Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- The United States-backed Saudi-led coalition, which has been pounding Yemen for the past four years, has launched at least six fresh airstrikes against the impoverished country's capital.
• 17 countries of Saudi-led coalition defeated in Yemen: Houthi Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement says the 17 countries comprising a coalition led by the regime in Riyadh are now divided and only one or two states are keeping up with the bloody Saudi campaign.
• Yemeni forces hit pro-Saudi military parade in Marib with new missile Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Yemeni army troops, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, have targeted a military parade and gatherings of Riyadh's mercenaries in Yemen's central province of Ma'rib with a new domestically-manufactured missile.
• Syrian Army Advances in Idlib's Khan-Sheikhun, Inflicts Heavy Losses on Terrorists - Reports Sputnik 18 Aug 2019 -- Syrian forces entered the town of Khan-Sheikhun in Syria's Idlib Province on Sunday, amid heavy fighting with Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and their allies, targeting their positions and inflicting heavy losses on militants, the SANA news agency reported.
• Putin: Russia backs Syrian army attacks on terrorists in Idlib Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed Moscow's support for the military operation carried out by the Syrian government troops against foreign-backed terrorists in the Arab country's northwestern province of Idlib.
• Syrian Army Eliminates Snipers on Hills Near Idlib's Khan Sheikhoun - Reports Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- The Syrian Army has established control over the entire city of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, according to the pro-government newspaper al Watan.
• Syria: Turkish convoy enters Syria's Idlib to help militants as army advances Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Damascus says a Turkish convoy carrying munitions have entered northwest Syria to help Takfiri militants who are losing territory amid advances by Syrian troops.
• Turkish Defence Ministry Says Airstrike on Military Convoy in Idlib Kills 3 Civilians - Report Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- The Turkish Defence Ministry said that three civilians were killed and 12 more were injured on Monday as an airstrike hit a convoy of the Turkish Armed Forces moving toward an observatory point in Syria's northwestern Idlib province.
• Damascus Claims Turkish Army Convoy Moving Towards Key Syrian Town - Reports Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- A Turkish convoy has already crossed into the Syrian town of Saraqib, located in the country's northwestern province of Idlib, according to state media. There has been no immediate comment from Ankara.
• Syria Fighter Jets Target Turkish Convoy in Syrian Territory VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Syrian fighter jets targeted at least one Turkish military convoy that had crossed into Syria Monday, causing a number of casualties.
• British Investigators: More Evidence Found Of Russian Role In Donbas RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- A London-based digital forensics agency says it has gathered an enormous body of evidence that Russia's military was deployed in the August-September 2014 fighting around Ilovaysk, in eastern Ukraine, in which Ukrainian forces were defeated by combined Russian and separatist troops.
• Putin, Macron Discuss Possibility Of Holding Summit On Ukraine RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- During their meeting in southern France, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, discussed efforts to advance negotiations to curb the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
• Pakistan accuses India of using water as weapon of war Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Pakistan says India has failed to inform it about the release of water from a dam that could cause flooding across the border, accusing New Delhi of waging an all-out warfare against Islamabad.
• Pakistan Summons Indian Diplomat After India Uses Anti-Tank Guided Missiles in Cross-Border Firing Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- A day after the Pakistani military claimed two civilians were killed in ceasefire violations by India along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat in Islamabad on Monday.
• Palestinian president sacks all advisors amid financial crisis Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has fired all of his advisors amid a financial crisis in the occupied West Bank that has led to deep salary cuts.
• Appointment of alleged war criminal to head of Sri Lanka army 'deeply troubling', says UN human rights chief UN News 19 Aug 2019 -- The appointment of Sri Lankan Lieutenant-General Shavendra Silva as Commander of the country's army is deeply troubling, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement released on Monday, adding that the military leader had been given the role despite "serious allegations of gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law against him and his troops during the war".
• Support Mali reconciliation efforts 'in whatever way possible', urges UN expert UN News 19 Aug 2019 -- Reconciliation initiatives in central Mali, to bring together local leaders and end ongoing violence, have been welcomed by the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, Alioune Tine, who said on Monday that they should be supported "in whatever way possible."
• Cameroon President Assists Militia After Boko Haram Raids VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Authorities in Cameroon are giving huge consignments of food, money and equipment to militias fighting Boko Haram on the country's northern border with Nigeria. The militias are defending areas from which the military has withdrawn.
• Under Pressure, IS Militants in Somalia Look to Ethiopia VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Islamic State militants in Somalia say they will release jihadist materials in Amharic – a step unmistakably aimed at winning recruits in restive, neighboring Ethiopia.

News Reports

• Trump confirms he's interested in buying Greenland, Denmark says it's 'not for sale' Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- US President Donald Trump says that the United States is considering possibly buying Greenland, noting it is "a large real estate deal."
• 'Greenland is not Danish': Denmark's PM Reacts to Trump's Greenland Aspirations Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- On Sunday, US President Trump confirmed his interest in acquiring the world's largest island, adding that he did not intend to push the idea in the immediate future.
• Sudan's ex-president got $90mn from Saudi Crown Prince: Official Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Sudan's Omar al-Bashir has admitted that he received $90 million in cash from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other royals, says a senior police official.
• Sudan's Bashir in Court for Start of Corruption Trial VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Sudan's fomer president Omar al-Bashir appeared in court Monday to face corruption charges, four months after he was ousted by the military.
• Trump Suggests Naval Blockade of Venezuela, Pentagon Notes Impracticality - Report Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- US President Donald Trump reportedly raised with advisers the idea of imposing a naval blockade against Venezuela for over a year. A new media report claims, citing senior US officials, that the US president suggested anchoring the US Navy along the Venezuelan coastline.
• Presidents of France, Russia Meet to Discuss World Conflicts VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in southern France where they made progress on boosting peace talks for Ukraine but disagreed on other issues, including Syria and Russia's crackdown on opposition protesters.
• Russia to probe 'foreign meddling' after protests Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Russia has decided to investigate "foreign meddling" in the country's affairs, following recent protests that Moscow accuses Western governments and media of supporting.
• Russia Doesn't Want 'Yellow Vest' Protests, Putin Tells Macron RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to prevent any situation occurring in Moscow similar to the "yellow vest" protest movement that has rocked French cities since late last year.
• North Korean Exports of Processed Food to China Raise Questions About Use of Aid Radio Free Asia 19 Aug 2019 -- North Korea appears to be exporting processed food to its main trading partner China amid requests to international donor nations to provide aid for its own food shortages, raising suspicions that the isolated country is selling products made from donated inputs to earn much-needed foreign currency for the sanctions-hit regime, sources involved in trade say.
• Iran not interested in renewing nuclear talks with US: FM Zarif Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic has no interest in engaging in a fresh round of nuclear talks with the United States, over a year after Washington unilaterally withdrew from a previous landmark agreement reached between Iran and six world powers in 2015.
• Iran warns US against trying to seize its tanker following release from Gibraltar Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- The Islamic Republic says it has warned the United States against any attempt at seizing an Iran-headed supertanker that had been detained by the UK and Gibraltar.
• Ayatollah Khamenei thanked IRGC for tackling US drone, UK tanker: Representative Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei thanked the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) for downing an intruding US drone and detaining a trespassing British tanker, his representative in the IRGC says.
• Hong Kong Student Leader Joshua Wong Talks to VOA about Ongoing Protests VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Since June, hundreds of thousands of protesters have marched through the streets of Hong Kong in defiance of an extradition bill, now suspended, that allowed for sending criminal suspects to mainland China for trial.
• As World Watches Hong Kong, Twitter and Facebook Take Down Accounts Associated with Chinese Government VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- After Hong Kong saw one of its biggest protests yet over the weekend, a social media war has broken out between China and U.S. technology companies over how Chinese state-sponsored media is using social media to spread misinformation and false news about the protesters.
• Hong Kong Residents Protest Peacefully in Latest Push for Reforms VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators marched peacefully through the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday, the 11th weekend in a row of anti-government protests.
• Pence to China: Act in 'Humanitarian Manner' to Resolve Hong Kong Protests VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence urged China on Monday to "act in a humanitarian manner" to resolve differences with pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
• Taiwan concerned, but will not intervene in HK protests: president CNA 19 Aug 2019 -- Taiwan's government is concerned about the months-long pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong but will not intervene, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Monday.
• US can't influence Beijing's decision on HK Global Times 19 Aug 2019 -- Political and public opinion elites in the US must understand that although they have the ability to instigate Hong Kong's radical protesters and make it harder for Hong Kong to restore order, they absolutely cannot influence Beijing's decisions on Hong Kong's situation.
• Riot leaders in Hong Kong use freedom and democracy as a guise, young students as cannon fodder Global Times 19 Aug 2019 -- ? The "Gang of Four" in Hong Kong have been criticized for using freedom and democracy as a guise and young students as cannon fodder.
• China's future path reflected in master plan for Shenzhen Global Times 19 Aug 2019 -- China's master plan to build Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, into a model city for the country with global competitiveness, not only lifted market sentiment on Monday but also, more importantly, sent one of the clearest signals yet of how the country plans to move forward at a critical juncture marked by both enormous opportunities as well as profound challenges.
• Hong Kong laws need to be respected by Beijing: Pence Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- US Vice President Mike Pence has urged China to respect Hong Kong's laws, echoing President Donald Trump's warning that any trade deal with China was linked to the situation in Hong Kong.
• Shenzhen is China's rising star as Hong Kong plunges into crisis Press TV 19 Aug 2019 -- China's State Council has issued a directive, calling for greater development of the southern city of Shenzhen which borders Hong Kong - currently in the throes of weeks-long protests encouraged by the US and Britain.
• Hong Kong March Was Peaceful 'Because Police Didn't Attack': Protesters Radio Free Asia 19 Aug 2019 -- Sunday's anti-extradition march in Hong Kong, which saw some 1.7 million people flood the city's streets in a mass protest against extradition to mainland China, was peaceful because police didn't use violence, protesters said at a news conference on Monday.
• Pro-China Supporters 'Bully' Those Showing Support For Hong Kong Protests Globally Radio Free Asia 19 Aug 2019 -- A wave of pro-China demonstrations is gathering pace in cities around the world, wherever supporters of the Hong Kong anti-extradition movement gather, prompting concerns over violence and freedom of expression.
• Hong Kong Police Slam Reports of Excessive Use of Force During Protests as 'Unfair' Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- Claims by the Hong Kong protest organizers that law enforcement officers use excessive force against demonstrators are "unfair", the Hong Kong Police said hours after the Sunday rally finished peacefully, despite a number of small incidents.
• Xi urges CPC members to maintain Long March spirit, rejuvenate nation People's Daily 19 Aug 2019 -- President Xi Jinping, who is general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, underlined the significance of the Long March spirit in the new era, calling on Party members and officials to carry forward the spirit to realize national rejuvenation.
• Assembly disrupts Hong Kong again Global Times 19 Aug 2019 -- Black-clad protesters in Hong Kong detoured from a permitted assembly in Victoria Park and took to the nearby streets, blocking business operations and people's life over the weekend.
• Iran May Soon Make Another Satellite Launch Attempt Sputnik 19 Aug 2019 -- There are increasing signs that Iran may be preparing to launch another satellite into orbit.
• Kazakh Village Under Quarantine After Tests Confirm Anthrax RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- A village near the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan, is under quarantine after lab tests confirmed anthrax infections in several people.
• Lithuania Buys $1 Million Worth Of Iodine Pills As Belarus Prepares Nuclear Power Plant Launch RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- Lithuania says it expects to receive more than 4 million iodine tablets ahead of the planned launch of neighboring Belarus's first power plant later this year.
• Key Kurdish Mayors Expelled as Turkey's Erdogan Increases Pressure on pro-Kurdish Movement VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Turkish authorities have expelled the mayors of the three main cities in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, provoking protests and political condemnation. Their expulsion comes as Turkish forces are poised to launch a military operation against Syrian Kurdish militants.
• Johnson Heads to Europe, Calls for New Brexit Negotiations VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will head to Berlin and Paris this week in a bid to persuade German and French leaders to reopen Brexit negotiations and secure a new departure deal for Britain from the European Union.
• With Eyes On Election, Netanyahu Calls For Closer Ties With Ukraine RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, locked in a tight election campaign, has kicked off a two-day visit to Ukraine highlighting the significance of post-Soviet emigres who are likely to be a factor in the vote.
• Uzbekistan Launches New Criminal Case Against Ex-President's Daughter Gulnara RFE/RL 19 Aug 2019 -- Uzbek authorities say they have opened criminal proceedings against Gulnara Karimova, the elder daughter of late President Islam Karimov who has been jailed in a Tashkent prison since March, over embezzlement allegations.
• Zimbabwe Official Defends Crackdown on Protests, Urges Patience with Economy VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- Zimbabwe's minister of foreign affairs and international trade on Monday defended crackdowns on anti-government demonstrations and urged patience in turning around the country's foundering economy.
• Civil Society Workers Run Afoul of Tanzania Security Officials in Sign of Increasing Clampdown VOA 19 Aug 2019 -- African civil society campaigners attending a conference in Tanzania were questioned and warned over the weekend, in what human rights activists say is part of a continuing clampdown on free speech in the East African nation.